Autism and Joint Attention Development, Neuroscience, and Clinical Fundamentals

From a preeminent researcher, this book looks at the key role of joint attention in both typical and atypical development. Peter C. Mundy shows that no other symptom dimension is more strongly linked to early identification and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). He synthesizes a wealth of knowledge on how joint attention develops, its neurocognitive underpinnings, and how it helps to explain the learning, language, and social-cognitive features of ASD across the lifespan. Clinical implications are explored, including reviews of cutting-edge diagnostic methods and targeted treatment approaches.

Peter Mundy, PhD, is Professor and Lisa Capps Endowed Chair of Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Education in the School of Education and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). He is also Director of Educational Research at the UC Davis MIND Institute. A developmental and clinical psychologist, Dr. Mundy has been working on defining the nature of autism and developmental disabilities for over 30 years. The author of the Early Social Communication Scales, which was selected by Autism Speaks as a recommended measure for clinical trials, he is associate editor of Autism Research and serves as an editorial board member or consulting editor for numerous other journals.

1. A Brief History of the Concept of Autism
2. The Dimension of Joint Attention and ASD Diagnosis
3. Joint Attention in Symptom Assessment and Risk Identification
4. Joint Attention, Learning, and Social Cognition
5. Social Orienting, Joint Attention, and Social Motivation
6. Early Intervention, Joint Attention, and ASD
7. Neurodevelopment of Joint Attention
8. The Genetics of Joint Attention and Joint Engagement
References
Index